Johnathan Joseph has an uneventful return to Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – Maintaining his mid-week ambivalence, former Bengal and current Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph insisted there was nothing emotional about his return Sunday to Paul Brown Stadium.

“I came out, talked to all of the guys and coaches and, actually, a lot of the fans were cheering me, telling me I should have been here,” Joseph said. “That was kind of good to hear, but for the most part, I just wanted to focus on winning the game.”

That part of the trip was a success, although Joseph’s play was uneven. Not that the star free agent acquisition was bad – he just didn’t perform to the lofty standard he’d established since arriving in Houston.

Shadowing the talented A.J. Green around the field, Joseph allowed the rangy wide receiver to haul in five receptions for 59 yards, including a 36-yarder in the third quarter that was essentially a jump ball.

Joseph and safety Danieal Manning combined to make the tackle, and afterwards they were discussing the sequence while getting dressed.

“He’s a tall guy who can go up, and they pretty much just threw it up,” Manning said “Basically, it was like a long punt.”

Green came down with it and he might have had another earlier on the same drive – if Joseph hadn’t been called for pass interference.

When told it looked like the rookie might have gotten the best of the sixth-year veteran, Joseph flashed a confident grin as he scoffed.

“Not at all,” Joseph said. “He’s going up and making a play on the ball. It wasn’t anything different other than he’s making a play – that’s what they pay him to do and what they pay me to do – to defend. You try to win more than you lose. Today, I came out with the victory at the end of the day. For me, I’m fine with that result.”

During the week, Joseph lamented the last time he faced the Texans. It was at Paul Brown Stadium in 2009,when Joseph dropped a certain interception of a pass intended for Andre Johnson in a Bengal loss.

Given a chance to redeem himself Sunday, Joseph couldn’t hold onto an interception at the goal line in the first quarter, a takeaway that probably would have resulted in a 99-yard touchdown return. But it was one of those days for Joseph, which doesn’t mean he won’t hear all about it from Manning and the rest of the defensive backs.

He will be “fined” for his drop.

“Oh, we clowned him,” Manning said. “He’s going to have to pay dues for that. It’s fun – at the end of the year, we take a trip with all of the money. There’s a lot in there. It makes you want to make those plays – you don’t want to be paying that money.”